Author: Katherine Williams
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Medicine advances through research; by technological progress, new discoveries, and the testing of new ideas. Yet despite these advances, many people find it increasingly difficult to choose health products.
The discovery of new and better drugs is contraindicated by the long list of side effects, some of which are fatal. Charlatans hawking unorthodox treatments through Internet advertising are ferreted out by the Food and Drug Administration or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, but often not before getting the money of many desperate people willing to take a chance on finding a cure. Many of these cases make it into the news, or, if not the news, the next best source of general knowledge: e-mail chains.
The stress from deciding if the dangers of drinking tap water outweigh the dangers of consuming bottled water stored in plastic containers, may kill me faster if indeed stress is a killer, as some research indicates.
It is deceiving that success rates of medical treatments are often quoted in relative terms, while failures are presented in absolute terms. It sounds great to the consumer that 80% of people showed a positive response to treatment X, and only two people exhibited negative symptoms; however, would the reaction to this news be different if it became known that the study only included 10 people? How is the average person to look after his or her health if the onslaught of health knowledge consistently contradicts itself? Worse yet, the conclusion of choice in many scientific articles, “More research into this area is required before a definitive answer is reached,” is not included in media reviews.
When I began a job with a health policy research firm, I did not find clarity, but more muddling. I was quite disillusioned once I got a taste of the arbitrariness of designating substance or response levels as low, medium, or high. I also started to consider the level of detail with which various researchers did, or did not, conduct experiments. The level of statistical competency possessed by those who analyzed the data, the bravado for primary authorship on a paper, or the degree of patronage to one’s job or funding source. However this learning experience was not without its silver lining, I merely took more solace in my morning mocha.
For every study, there is an equal and opposite study. The two most commonly quoted food substance examples are butter vs. margarine and coffee good or coffee bad?
The extent to which these substances have been researched is astounding and I have been forced, for the pure sake of sanity, to simply settle the matter on my own using my newfound health research skills.
The following steps document my research into the unmeasured confounding factors in my one-subject study supporting the theory: coffee good.
As some research has recently indicated, aromatherapy can affect one’s moods. Leaving the office environment and walking to the coffee shop gave me an opportunity to smell the blossoming lilacs and roses. I confer some of the benefits of coffee may be attributed to exposure to the essence of lilacs and roses prior to even entering the coffee house.
Once in the crammed coffee shop, the benefits of touch stimuli kick in. Some researchers have postulated that skin responds positively to touch, and in fact requires it, for growth.
All the patrons have created a necessity for the coffee house to hire staff. Social research has demonstrated a positive correlation between employment levels in a society and the health of its citizens. Again, I will confer these health benefits to my mocha.
With my mocha in hand, I consider the greater educational opportunities conferred to the hard working fair trade coffee and cocoa bean pickers because of the demand for these items. Social research has shown a relationship between better-educated people and their resulting better health.
Finally, I take a sip, then another. I reach the bottom of the cup and am sated from the pep I get from the coffee, the fullness I feel from the milk, and the endorphin release I get from the cocoa. I analyze the data: the chocolate/coffee combination contributes to better health for both civilizations at large and me.
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